Immigration talks gain momentum

With the Senate moving full-steam ahead on a comprehensive immigration bill, House Republicans are finding their way on their own strategy meant to position Washington for reform in the 113th Congress.

The House GOP leadership kicked off its efforts in earnest on Tuesday when House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia and South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy— a former prosecutor — began briefing their colleagues on the basics of U.S. immigration policy in Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy’s office.

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But behind the scenes, a parallel process is playing out. A cluster of previously unknown GOP working groups — which are working with Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan — are reviewing immigration issues ranging from agricultural to high-tech visas, to border security and dealing with illegal immigrants already in the country. These proposals will supplement the main House bipartisan talks on immigration, which are being led by Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, a Cuban-American Republican from Florida. Ryan has also been in contact with the bipartisan group, according to sources.

There have also been private conversations in leadership circles about what has gone wrong in the past. Republicans are examining why George W. Bush’s push for immigration reform failed. So far, they have concluded that the former president’s 2007 bill was perceived as amnesty, the amendment process caused controversy and the border was seen as insecure. Also, Republicans have this time talked upfront about potential roadblocks to immigration legislation — such as the expected desire to offset the cost of beefed-up border security, according to several sources.

All this behind-the-scenes activity shows a new intensity around immigration in the House and could be a harbinger for reform.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) had been noncommittal on how he wanted to handle immigration, saying the committees of jurisdiction would work through it and he would act if the Senate produced a bill — and top GOP aides are skeptical the Senate will produce anything. Sources caution that any approach must include whatever comes out of the bipartisan House talks.

“I’ve made it clear on immigration, we need to continue to work in a bipartisan fashion like we have been to deal with this very complex issue,” Boehner said at his news conference Tuesday.

The House strategy stands in sharp contrast to the Senate’s moves. Top lawmakers and aides in Boehner’s chamber describe a process that would have the House pass a number of small-bore immigration bills with broad support. Those bills would lead to a formal conference negotiation with the Senate, when it passes its comprehensive bill that is expected to be unveiled sometime in early April.

The final product would then be bipartisan and could ease passage through both chambers, according to this thinking.

“More likely that we deal with one bill at a time, more likely that the Senate slams them all together,” said Oklahoma Rep. James Lankford, chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, who is involved with immigration strategy. “They do so few bills over there, they’re going to do one big giant, we may do a few small [bills] and see what we work on in conference together.”